


Sweet Thing

by The_Asgardian_Devil



Category: Labyrinth (1986)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Headcanon, Romance, Teenage Jareth, Teenage Sarah, Their 'first meeting'
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-12
Updated: 2017-08-28
Packaged: 2018-12-14 07:04:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,913
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11777973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Asgardian_Devil/pseuds/The_Asgardian_Devil
Summary: The year is 1986, and instead of being in school, young Sarah Williams has decided to take a personal day. She wants time to herself, time to explore the city, grab a bite to eat, and maybe even check out that new bookstore that just opened.Little does she know that a certain Goblin Prince has had the same idea.He's newly 16- practically a baby to anyone in the Underground, but Jareth is tired of all the responsibilities that come with being a prince. He hates being in school all day, hates all of the etiquette classes he has to take, and hates that he's never allowed to have fun. But today, he's taking the reigns for the first time in his life- and it feels good.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is based off of a few anons I read on tumblr- so I hope I do the OP some justice.  
> A very wild headcanon, but definitely something I'm willing to tackle.

She couldn't believe it, she was skipping school. Her- Sarah Williams, the local 'good girl'. 

It was such a rush.

In her opinion, nearly 11 years of basically perfect attendance should definitely cover for one day of slacking off, though she had a gut feeling her father and Irene would disagree. But their reactions didn't matter now, they were miles away, a four day long business trip that couldn't be avoided meant that Sarah had been left in the care of babysitter. 

A babysitter, at 15 and a half years old...it was embarrassing. 

She was thankful that Crystal was only a few years older than herself, and at 19, seemed to be more focused on her personal life than looking after Sarah. It was a miracle.

 

The 'emergency' money had been swiped from the top of the refrigerator, and Sarah had triple checked to make sure that she had her keys in her purse before locking the house up tight. "It's time for an adventure,"

The town she lived in wasn't huge, but it was big enough that she could spend a day getting lost in it. More of a passing through type location, it held the basic things needed to survive; though she noticed that things had been growing over the past few months. There were new restaurants and a few stores popping up here and there- filling in the cracks, bringing in new people. It was exciting to see such change, but it was also a bit intimidating to Sarah.

She could imagine ten years down the line, her quaint and comfortable town turned into a booming bee hive; something vaguely familiar to the outskirts of New York. Not a bad thing, but changes were never something she handled well.

 

The young girl had spent most of her time popping in and out of the corner shops, a few trinkets bagged and on her arm. "One more place to go, and then I'll have to head home,"

Sarah knew that Crystal would most likely be stopping in to check up on her at around 6, so she figured she would leave the book store at around 4:40; giving her more than enough time to come home, unpack, and settle in so that nothing was suspected of her.

~  
"Such a strange little town,"  
A tall and lanky young man with a sharp, crooked smile had been set in the farthest corner of a bookstore. 

To the other patrons, he was merely another punk rocker who'd probably skipped school to go cause trouble. They had no idea the power that same young man held within him.

 

Jareth was a prince, a young wisp of a goblin. He'd just turned 16, and instead of being welcomed into this new sense of adulthood with open arms- he'd been thrown into even more schooling. 

Make no mistake- ruling a kingdom was no cake walk, especially when it's a kingdom full of magical creatures and pesky goblins (himself excluded), and Jareth knew that. But even so, he felt he deserved a day or two to himself. 

He'd sneaked away from his fencing lesson a few hours earlier, feigning a stomach ache that would reward him with the rest of the afternoon off. The Underground wasn't the place to be exploring- not when every fae, goblin, imp, brownie, and gnome knew your face. 

The Aboveground however, that was an entirely different situation. No one knew Jareth in the Aboveground, not even the people he'd accidentally run into on previous explorations; a small prayer having been said every time to thank the gods for magic. 

 

He had no idea why he was drawn to this specific location, there wasn't anything particularly interesting here- though the Prince had to admit, the park was rather impressive. 

Jareth had collected a massive stack of books over the course of his stay, having made several trips from his spot on the floor towards the register. "That'll be 102.82 young man," 

The voice had startled the young Prince from his thoughts, and he went to grab the gold coins from his pocket before he caught himself. Humans had a different form of currency- that paper stuff that was always so pesky. He needed to think up a lie, and he needed to think one up quick. 

"I think I dropped my wallet over there- just give me one second please," He bustled over to the far corner of the store, doing a double take before switching out his coins for actual paper money. Next time he would remember to do that before he stood at the register. 

"Faeries, Goblins, and and other Mythological Creatures" The Prince snorted at the book, unable to resist picking it up. "Humans have no idea," In the back of his mind, Jareth knew that the book would be full of inaccurate information, but he couldn't resist flicking through it as he headed back up towards the counter. 

~  
"All about Fae, and the other Mythological Creatures you didn't know existed." Sarah laughed to herself, books like this were almost always a scam, but she couldn't deny the fact that she was also in love with anything involving fairy tale creatures- especially fae and goblins. 

"Oh- to hell with it, it's only 6 dollars," She shook her head as she glanced at some of the pictures in the first few chapters, the depictions of these creatures nearly offensive in their cartoonish manor. Sarah liked to believe that fae were naturally attractive, not the hooked nose, sharp toothed, feathery creatures she was seeing now. Of course, it was all up to everyone's individual tastes, she wasn't exactly sure she believed such creatures existed. 

 

"Oh god- I'm sorry!" A crimson flush had covered the young girls cheeks when she realized she had slammed right into another person. "I wasn't even paying-"

Sarah stopped dead in her tracks, mouth snapping shut when she realized she was staring with it hanging open. She had run into a boy- a cute boy. 

Who was he? Sarah had never seen him around town before. Why was he so- so...pretty?? Were guys allowed to be 'pretty'? 

He was tall, taller than her, and thinner, though he didn't look malnourished- what was that word, it was on last weeks vocabulary quiz...lithe! That's what this stranger was- lithe. 

 

"It's alright- I wasn't looking either," The stranger offered Sarah a hand, smiling at her as she regained her footing. He had a crooked smile, but it wasn't unpleasant, it was rather cute- just like the rest of him. 

Sarah thanked the stranger, quickly scanning the floor for her book. Where had it gone? 

"I really am sorry about that, I need to learn to be more careful." She apologized again, her eyes covering every inch of this new boy. He was wearing eye makeup and...bronzer? Sarah never knew that boys could wear makeup, let alone wear it better than most girls! 

It made his cheekbones stand out, though she surmised that they were probably just as sharp without it. The dramatic flaring on the tails of his eyebrows also drew attention to his eyes, and Sarah made a small nose in contentment when she saw that his pupils were two different sizes. 

He was an odd character, but he was beautiful, and seemed like a nice person. Then again, this was the first boy Sarah had ever talked to that wasn't trying to make fun of her. 

~  
She was stunning! A goddess made flesh! 

Jareth could feel his own face catch fire, and he was thankful that the points of his ears were covered by his hair- lest anyone see that they too, were rosy. 

He had originally intended to make a scene when he had been run into, but immediately felt his heart jump into his throat once he saw who had crashed into him. The most beautiful girl he had ever seen. 

She looked to be about the same age as he, but she carried herself as if she were much older. Long, dark hair paired perfectly with electric green eyes- the fae had to avert his eyes from hers. This young woman had cruel eyes- and though she said nothing, Jareth could already hear the beginnings of the Siren's song. 

"It's um- it's fine, really." He mentally kicked himself for such bashfulness. "No harm done," 

He regathered the few books that had been dropped, quirking an arched brow at the extra he was now holding. Another book about the fae? He didn't remember picking that up...

 

"I'm um, I'm Jareth-" He flashed a toothy grin as he held out a hand, feeling a wave of goosebumps cover his skin when it was accepted in a firm and welcoming shake. 

"Jareth," Sarah repeated the name, an equally giddy smile pulling at her lips. "I've never met anyone named Jareth before- you're my first."

The Goblin smiled at her enthusiasm, the hairs on his arms standing on end from just how much energy this young creature was giving off.

"I'm Sarah, by the way," She gave a small, nervous laugh, hastily pulling her hand away when she realized they were still threaded together. "It's nice to meet you Jareth,"

~  
Sarah, her name was Sarah. 

The young prince felt as if he were flying, unable to fight the smile that ached to show itself again. Why did he feel this way? Surely he couldn't have been falling for her, not already- they were perfect strangers!

She was devastatingly gorgeous though, especially when that rosy color filled her cheeks. 

"It's nice to meet you Sarah," He gave a nervous chuckle, fidgeting with the books in his hands when he suddenly remembered the cashier waiting for him at the counter. 

"Oh! I um- I hate to leave like this, but I've been keeping that cashier waiting," Despite the fact that Jareth knew he could always apparate back down to the underground, he had already stayed in the Aboveground for much longer than he should have. Remaining any longer would risk getting caught, and the young Prince wasn't too keen on the idea of being punished again. 

"It's been wonderful meeting you Sarah, maybe we'll run into one another again."

~  
Sarah's face fell when Jareth told her he had to leave; unsure why it seemed to bother her so much, she chalked it up to the fact that he was the first boy she had ever 'successfully' spoken with, and the only one who actually seemed interested in her. 

She checked her own watch, frowning when she realized that she too would have to begin her trek home. "You're alright, I have to go too- "

The young Prince gave a gentle nod, and they exchanged equally regretful goodbyes, neither one really wanting to end their encounter. He had turned to walk away, only making it a few more steps before he felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Sarah.

"I think you grabbed my book by mistake when we ran into one another," She smiled, anxiously tucking a long strand of hair behind her ear. "O- oh, did I?" Jareth looked down at the books again, feeling his face heat up for what felt like the billionth time that evening as he picked Sarah's out. "Sorry about that,

She waved it off- an honest mistake really, besides, it gave her another reason to go after him. 

"I'll see you around Jareth, it was nice meeting you," The butterflies in Sarah's stomach threatened to lift her off of the floor, and she had to hide her excitement as she turned to leave. "I hope I see you again soon..."

Her final musing wasn't intended to be heard by anyone but herself, but Sarah couldn't have predicted that her new acquaintance would have a super heightened sense of hearing. Jareth couldn't hide the smile on his face, and with an eccentric wave of his hand, had magically slipped a note into the book Sarah had bought. "I'll see you soon Sarah, I promise,"

~  
Sarah had gotten home just in time, Crystal's car pulling into her driveway at exactly 6:03. She had ran up the stairs when the door began to open, tossing her few bags to the other side of her bed and covering them with a blanket. Taking a deep breath, she pretended to not realize her babysitter had stopped by- happily lying about her school day before accepting a large pizza for her supper. 

She was finally home alone, belly full, and butterflies still thrumming beneath her skin from the days events. "My book!" The brunette smiled to herself as she grabbed the new tome from her nightstand, flicking through to find her page when a piece of paper fluttered out and onto her bed. 

"What's this?" The book was set aside, and Sarah curiously inspected the piece of paper, an eyebrow quirked as she opened and read it aloud. 

 

“Sarah,  
You can run into me any time you’d like.  
If you’d ever wanna meet again, leave a letter in the large, hollow Oak tree in the park.  
I can teach you how to hunt faeries, or how to spot goblins.

Sincerely (and still blushing),  
Jareth”


	2. Teenage Wildlife

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ask and ye shall receive! Another update on our teenaged lovebirds!  
> (I've decided to turn this fic into a 3 chapter story, so this one is more of a 'buffer' or 'filler' between the 1st and 3rd chapter. Mainly full of teenage angst and nervousness, the really good stuff won't be here until the final chapter!!)

_"Dear Jareth,_

_I'm eager to see you again, though hopefully this time we won't need to run into one another first._   
_My Dad and Irene are out of town again this weekend and aren't supposed to be home until Monday evening- maybe we could meet up then?_

_I look forward to hearing from you._

_Sincerely (and very giddy),_   
_Sarah."_

 

She had rewritten and reread her letter about three times, hands shaking as she walked towards the large tree in the park.

Sarah had been battling herself all week about doing this; on one hand, she wanted to see Jareth again. He was gentler than any of the other guys she had seen, and he made her feel comfortable, which is something she had never really experienced before when it came to boys.

But on the other hand, Sarah really didn't know anything about him. This mysterious beauty was practically a stranger, the only thing she was certain of was that he wasn't from around here, and he had to have been rich- the stack of books he had been buying a dead giveaway.

 

"C'mon Sarah,  _Carpe Diem_ \- Seize the day!" She was giving herself a pep talk as she stood by the tree in question, letter still tightly in hand. "What's the worst that could happen? It's not like I haven't already been rejected by a boy before."

 

Unbeknownst to her, however, an elegant barn owl was perched atop a stone Gargoyle; watching and listening to the beautiful young brunette argue with herself.

 

Jareth didn't mean to spy on her like this, truth be told he hadn't really expected Sarah to actually respond to his proposal. He had been soaring over the park in an attempt to try and find a ring he had dropped the week before, blindly stumbling upon the very girl he had been thinking about when he'd dropped it.

She had been on his mind every waking moment, her vibrant eyes haunting his dreams with their cruelty. Jareth himself- while rather attractive by human standards, was the biggest outcast in the Underground. Having rejected his goblin-like form in favor of a more human or fae appearance, any potential relationships had been hastily thrown away. He couldn't help that he preferred these softer features to his natural ones, but no one else seemed to understand that. In a way- he and Sarah were in the same boat; beautiful and different, but isolated because of these noticeable differences.

 

"Oh to hell with it! If he's gonna reject me it might as well be this way!" Sarah's raised voice had startled the young Prince, and he watched as she aggressively stuffed the letter into the trees hollow opening. It pained Jareth to think that she was already accustomed to such a feeling- rejection was a cruel mistress, and she so enjoyed her duties.

Sarah gave a huff, walking with an unknown determination towards a shadier spot in the park. She was nervous about what might happen, nervous and terrified. Her experience with boys was limited, but the few times that had nearly gone well had turned out to be the worst. She made a secret promise to herself on one of those occasions- to make sure that if she ever had a son, he would know better than to ask a young girl out as a joke.

"I hope I don't make a fool of myself..." Her voice was quiet as she went back to her spot, folding in on herself as she lay against a large, welcoming Willow tree. A book was slipped from her messenger bag, something she had bought for herself as a treat, and Sarah decided that the best way to clear out her unsavory mood was to lose herself between the pages of a story.

 

The young Prince was buzzing with excitement to see what she had written, his nervousness masked with a professional ease. He supposed that he had his impending status change to thank for that- the ability to hide his fear. After all, what good was a King if he cowered like everyone else?

 

"Oh gods,  _please_  be good news," Jareth mused aloud as he hurriedly made his way to the Oak tree, heart hammering against his ribs. He really liked Sarah, even if they were perfect strangers. She gave off a different type of energy than the other girls he'd observed Aboveground.

He slipped a hand into the trees opening, blindly feeling around before pulling away with the letter, a boyish smile tugging at his lips. Jareth was delicate as he opened the envelope, opting to simply sit against the tree rather than run off somewhere else. "She sealed it with a wax stamp,"

His voice held an unusual type of grandeur, it wasn't every day that he average human was writing letters using formal format- this Sarah really was different.

Jareth took extreme precaution when opening his letter, making sure to keep the seal intact and leaving the envelope completely unscathed. If it turned out to be bad news he could at least keep the letter as a memento- a sort of bittersweet reminder about the one that got away.

 

"She- she wants to see me again..." The young Prince was failing to hide his excitement, cheeks and pointed ears flushed from his bashfulness. Sarah wanted to see him again! Wanted to meet with him while her parents were away! This was serious stuff- Jareth's first genuine encounter with a girl he had feelings for. 

"Gods, what am I gonna wear? I don't want her to think I'm a freak..."

 

The brunette had drifted off to sleep beneath the willow tree, making a noise in disagreement when she heard the large clock tower chime. "Go'way..." Her voice was slurred- thick with sleep. Normally Sarah's dozing would have been fine, but with her Dad and Irene away on business again she had to make sure she was home before Crystal popped in to check up on her. The last thing Sarah wanted was to be grounded because of a curfew technicality. 

"Shit...it's 4 o'clock..." She mumbled to herself, rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she sat up. Sarah gave a mighty yawn, stretching out as she tried to gather her bearings. 

"I wonder if that Jareth boy found my letter?" The innocence in her voice gave away her excitement, and Sarah had decided that it wouldn't hurt to check the tree before she made her way home. 

 

_"She's going towards the tree!"_ Jareth's inner monologue was practically screaming with joy, the Prince once again in his owl form- sat in a nearby pine tree. He knew he needed to head back to the Underground, lest his mother and father see that he's sneaked out- again. Not that he'd care if he got into trouble; perks of being magical meant that the rules could be bent to your every whim- and Jareth did so enjoy that fact. 

He'd conjured up a parchment in response to Sarah's, tied it with twine and sealing the knot with a sprig of lavender pressed into the wax. It was a bit dramatic, he knew, but he figured the young girl would enjoy something that seemed like it was out of a fairytale. Sarah seemed the type to really enjoy such things- her energy speaking volumes to the goblin the first time they met. 

 

"Oh my- " 

Sarah had pulled Jareth's parchment from the tree- her nerves forbidding her from opening it while she was still so close. What if he was nearby, watching her? She didn't want to give him the satisfaction of a reaction if it was a rejection letter. But then again, it seemed like quite a lot of thought was put into it- far too delicate and fancy to be bad news...right?

She had taken a few steps away from the tree, deciding that she couldn't wait a second longer to see what was inside. Her movements were precise, but on the inside Sarah felt as if her stomach were doing back flips. "Here goes nothing..." Her hands were shaking as she unfolded the piece of parchment, making a happy noise at just how formal everything felt. This was nice paper, wrapped with twine and sealed with a beautiful wax stamp- Sarah had never seen such an odd seal before, it almost reminded her of a Lunula. She gave a gentle giggle to think that Jareth had gone to such trouble- definitely making an excellent first impression on her.

_"Dear Sarah,  
_ _Firstly, I must commend you on both your penmanship and your presentation- I thought I was the only one who still went to such trouble to seal an envelope with wax,"_

The first line brought another smile to the young girls face, her eyes shining as she continued.

_"I would love to spend some time with you this weekend, our first meeting was cut far too short.  
_ _What do you say we have a picnic, my treat of course, we can meet here at our secret tree and spend an afternoon getting to know one another?"_

Sarah's heart had jumped into her throat- her stomach simultaneously dropping down into her feet. He wanted to have a picnic with her- a picnic at the park, together... _alone_  together. That's like a date!! "Oh my god, I've gotta be dreaming,"

Her voice was betraying her initial sense of doubt, excitement seeming to overpower any other feeling within her as she kept reading.

_"Seems a bit forward, but you seem like a lovely person, and the park is a nice place to teach you how to hunt for faeries,"_

Another giggle bubbled up from her chest- she was really starting to like this Jareth boy...

_"If you're interested, then let's meet here, Saturday afternoon; 11.30am.  
_ _If not though, I totally understand._

_I hope to see you soon!_

_Sincerely,  
_ _(Nervous and Excited) Jareth."_

 

Sarah made a happy trilling noise in the back of her throat, hugging the letter close to her. Her first date was on Saturday. An actual date. With a boy she was starting to like. And who seemed to like her back. It was so- so...exhilarating?? 

"Saturday's only two days away...my god, what am I gonna wear?

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you all so much for reading!  
> Comments and Kudos make my day!  
> Love on ya! <3


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